Positive Change
by Positron Weapon D
Summary: A potentially troubling discovery leaves Musiea worried, but if anyone knows how to put her mind at ease, it's her former Ark Arena partner. Rated for mild language and one brief sexual reference. Escher x Musiea, obviously.


Everything seemed to stop all around Musiea as she looked at the tiny display after three minutes of suspense. Her legs felt weak, and she let herself fall to the bathroom floor.

She closed her eyes, and she could hear the sounds of the children she was taking care of as they played outside. Her chest felt achy as she thought of Escher out there watching them. He already had so much to deal with just keeping them safe as well as helping her to take care of them. And he was so good with those kids, too...

She hadn't meant to give him another responsibility...but there was no denying that she had. The stick now sitting on the counter next to the sink had an unmistakably clear plus sign, meaning that things were about to get even more complicated and hectic for them.

How was she even going to tell him? How could she possibly tell him that the house, that was already crowded enough to begin with, would soon be getting another occupant? That their budget, which was already tight enough, would be even tighter? And the children...a newborn baby required so much care and attention, and since they were all orphans of war, some of them already feared being abandoned or left behind. What if they felt like they were being replaced?

"Musiea? What are you doing in there?"

She gasped, realizing she hadn't closed the bathroom door all the way, and that she hadn't been paying attention to her surroundings. Escher was looking in at her through the open door with a confused but concerned expression, and the positive test was still on the counter. She had to think of something quickly so he would leave without seeing it.

"O-Oh, Escher, I...wasn't feeling well. Sorry...I didn't mean to leave without warning."

"Seems like you've been under the weather a hell of a lot lately," he responded, leaning against the doorframe. "You're usually up at the crack of dawn, but you've been having trouble with that, except for the couple of times you were up in the middle of the night throwing up. And...wait, what's that?"

She noticed that his eyes had drifted over to the counter, and she panicked when she saw that he was looking right at the pregnancy test.

"Escher, wait..." she said, attempting to scramble to her feet. It was no use, though...her body just felt so much heavier as of late, so it was no use. He had already gone over and picked up the test, and was looking at the display. "Y-You shouldn't touch that..."

"Don't worry. I didn't touch the used end. But I think we've probably got something more important to talk about than me accidentally touching the pissed-on end of a pregnancy test. Specifically, we need to talk about the results of said test." He sat down on the floor with her, and he put his arm around her, bringing her into a hug. She snuggled up against him, willing herself not to cry. "I'm guessing by your reaction that you weren't planning to tell me right away...why?"

"Because...we've got enough going on," she admitted. "And you already do enough, Escher!" She sniffled, feeling tears sting her eyes. "How could this happen...? What are we going to do?"

"Hey, come on now. Don't start crying." He kissed the top of her head. "This is probably more my fault than anything. I mean...rubbers break, and my...level of enthusiasm probably doesn't help there."

Musiea laughed a little. "You're not _that_ rough. Not all the time, anyway..." She sighed. "But Escher..."

"Right...what we're going to do," he said. "Well...I don't see why we can't just proceed as normal. Except no roughhousing with the boys for you for a while."

"I-I didn't mean it in that way..." she said. "Honestly, I don't see how you're so calm about this!"

"I just found out my wife is pregnant," he said. "I promise you, I'm not even the slightest bit calm. But I can't exactly pick you up and spin you around and kiss you a thousand times over in your condition. And I should probably wait a few months before shouting from the rooftops that I'm going to be a dad."

Musiea sighed. "No! I mean...aren't you...worried?"

"About you? Absolutely." He looked down at her with a serious expression. "You're going to have to start resting more, and seeing a doctor more regularly. And I'll do all I can to minimize the stress on you."

She started to tear up again. "That last part is what worries me most, Escher!" She threw her arms around him. "You already do so much to help me with the children, and I know it has to take a toll on you! And babies...they require a lot of attention! You'll have to do even more, and...I don't want you running yourself ragged! The Agent may have cured the illness you had before, but what if you get sick again? What if I lose you...?"

He sighed, gently stroking her hair. "Those are a lot of 'what ifs,' Musiea. But I'll tell you what..." He took her left hand and ran his thumb over her wedding ring. "See that?" He held out his left hand as well. "I've got one just like it. You know what it means?"

"Of course I know what it means!" she told him. "I'm the one who put it on you, if you recall!"

"Then you shouldn't be so worried," he said. "The fact that we're both wearing these rings means that we made a promise to look out for each other and love each other. That we'd support each other no matter what. That no matter how tough things got, we'd make it through together." He touched her cheek and angled her head upward so he was gazing directly into her eyes. "I think you ought to know by now that I don't like making empty promises, and I have no intention of backing out of that one. Yeah, this is unexpected, but we've definitely been through tougher situations. We can do this, Musiea...I know we can. It might be a little louder and more crowded around here for a while, and things might be a little tougher financially...but we'll get by."

"What about the children, Escher?" she asked. "I don't want them to feel like they're being replaced or forgotten..."

"They won't," he told her. "For some of them, yeah, maybe the thought will cross their minds at first, but it won't stick. Those kids adore you, and you love them just as much. Just because you're having a baby doesn't mean they're any less important. They'll realize that pretty quickly." He laughed. "In fact, I think they'll be thrilled. Especially when you start to show. They'll start learning about how to take care of a baby, like older brothers and sisters. If you so much as feel a kick and they hear about it, they'll all come flocking to feel at the same time. Just...make sure I get the chance to feel it too."

Musiea felt like crying again. He was right...she loved those kids so much. There was no way they could possibly think that she didn't. The second she told them, she'd have dozens of helpers who would be cheering her on! The little ones would probably all start playing doctor and scheduling pretend checkups, and the older ones would probably do just as Escher had said.

Her vision quickly became blurry as she found that she couldn't stop herself from crying. Escher really did love her so much...and the fact that he was clearly so happy that they'd be having a child of their own made her feel guilty that she hadn't wanted to tell him right away.

"Hey, now..." he said gently. "What are you crying about this time?"

"I...I just...!" She sniffled, her lower lip quivering as she buried her face in his chest. "I-I love you...s-so much, Escher...!"

She felt him hold her just a bit more tightly. "I know you do...but you usually don't cry about it."

"I-I know...!" She gripped at his shirt. "I'm sorry...I'm sorry I didn't want to tell you at first...!"

"No need to apologize," he said. "I'm just glad we got the chance to talk about it. Who knows how long you'd be worrying about this if I hadn't barged in? At this point, stress isn't a good thing for you, or for the baby."

"E-Escher..." She looked up at him. "Now I'm worried again. You're already showing signs of being a better father than I am of being a good mother..."

"I don't have any idea where in the hell you came up with that," he said. "I can play with kids all day long, but actually taking care of an infant? I'm clueless." He laughed. "There's a lot you're going to have to teach me."

She smiled. "Like what?"

"Well...for starters, I don't even know how to change a diaper."

Musiea couldn't help but laugh. _"T_ _hat's_ what you're worried about?"

"I mean...yeah, a little! Don't kids go through those pretty quickly?" He looked off to the side. "I mean, I've seen them on a baby, and I've seen them when they're flat and just out of the package. But I can't figure out for the life of me how it goes from flat to actually on a baby!"

She found herself laughing even harder. The mental image of Escher, whose confidence sometimes bordered on arrogance, looking at an unused diaper and puzzling over it with a furrowed brow, wondering which part went where, was just too much!

"I-It's not that funny, is it?" he asked, looking a little embarrassed.

"No! It's just..." She sighed, brushing away some of her tears and giving him a soft kiss. "There are still some times where you surprise me, even now..."

"Hey, it's important to keep things interesting. But I'm glad you're laughing now instead of crying." He reached out as though he meant to caress her cheek, but he stopped suddenly. "Oh, shit."

"What? What is it?"

"The kids. They're outside by themselves."

Musiea's eyes widened. "That's right! Escher, what were you thinking?!"

"I told the older ones to keep an eye on things, and that I'd be back in a few minutes!" he said. "But it's been more than a few minutes now..."

"I should say so!"

"Yeah...sorry about that..."

He stood up quickly, and he helped her to her feet as well. They started to head outside, but Musiea heard Escher start to laugh.

"What is it now?" she asked.

"It's funny..." he said. "We were so focused on how the kids might deal with the big news that we left them outside unsupervised. Some parents we'll make..."

She scowled. "It isn't funny at all, Escher!"

"I mean, it technically isn't, but at the same time..." He sighed. "Well, I think it's fair to say we're both going to need to prepare for this, big time."

"Yes, I guess that's fair," she admitted.

He smirked. "Though let me just say one thing..."

She was surprised when he stepped in front of her, and even more so when she felt his hands on her midsection. He leaned down so his face was close to the area where the new life was now growing within her.

"Hey, kid. Listen up." His voice was firm, but still gentle...and loving. The warmth of his hands was comforting to her, as it always was. "If you hear your mom chewing me out like that again, make sure to stand up for me, okay? I don't know if you've got legs yet, but a solid kick should get the point across."

Musiea found herself laughing as her cheeks turned pink. It was strange, hearing Escher talk to their child, who likely couldn't even hear his voice yet...but it still made her happy.

"Escher..." she told him. "You don't need to start being a bad influence so early on!"

"You're probably right," he said, standing up all the way. "If that kid's got half of my genetics, we're going to have a hell of a time."

Musiea took his hands and smiled up at him. "But I hope you know that I wouldn't have it any other way...I love you."

He smiled, a hint of bashfulness on his face. "Yeah, I know. Nobody else would put up with me, or any kid of mine. And for that, I love you too."

She let go of his hands so she could wrap her arms around his neck and kiss him before they had to go back outside. She needed to convey her sentiments just once more. And as they walked outside, hand in hand, she thought about the strangeness of it all. Earlier, she had been so worried and so scared, but Escher had put her mind at ease and gotten her to smile again. A man who she once had hated with such a burning passion, she now loved with all her heart. And soon, she'd have the privilege of seeing him not just as her husband and her lover, but as the father of her child. Their relationship truly had taken some unexpected turns...but as she'd said to him, she wouldn't have it any other way.

* * *

A.N.: Ah, my original Chaos Rings OTP...I've been wanting to write something for them for a while now! The fact that it's taken me this long is kind of ridiculous, considering I played Chaos Rings before they added the voices in an update! I...won't say how long ago that was...

Reviews would be greatly appreciated if you enjoyed reading this!


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